Refrigerator cabinet



Feb. 1s, 1947.-

E. E. NO FZINGER .'REFRIGERATOR CABINET 3 Sheets-Sheet 25 Y j Filed Aug. 21, 1943 INVENTOR. E/LQL /VOFZ/ 6E@ BY o Patented Feb. 18, 1947 'REFRJGERATOR CABINET Earl E. Nofzinger, Greenville, Mich., assignonby mesne assignments, to Gibson Refrigerator Company, Greenville, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Application August 21, 1943, Serial No. 499,474

This invention relates to refrigerator cabinets and more particularly to the outer casings thereof. Heretofore refrigerator cabinets have been con- 1 claim. (cri 22o- 9) I one piece front wall VI3,a one piece rear wall structed principally of steel. Plastic materials have many advantages over steel, some of which are light weightand low heat conductivity. Theiruse in cabinet structures, however, introduces many new problems.

The present inventionhas'for its principal ob- I4, and a one piece intermediate wall I 5.: All three parts are fabricated from a suitable plastic materila formed tothe desired shape and secured together by cement, as will Ibe more fully pointed out hereinafter.

In this connection, it will be noted that the intermediate wall is shaped so as .to eliminate all forming operations other than bending and that ject the provision of a novel outer casing for a lothe front and rear walls are drawn or formed refrigerator cabinet so formed that it can be comto provide all corners. Thus, no deep drawing posed entirely of plastic materials. or forming operations are involved Iin the fab- Another object is toprovide such an outer casrication of any part of the casing. i'- ing of a minimum number of parts. The front wall I3, in elevation, is ofthe shape :A still further object is to provide novel means 15 indicated in Figures 1 and 6. It is provided with for ornamenting the cabinet vand concealingl the a large opening I6 into which the liner is fitted, joints between various members thereof. .and which aords access to the food storage cpm- `A further object is to provide a cabinet so partment. Another opening I'l is formed at the. formed as to minimize the number of diesemlower end to permit access to the machinery com-l ployed in its fabrication. i 20 partment. 'As will be noted from Figures 2 and 3, Thes'eobjects will more fully appear in the fol'- the front wall is provided with a relatively wide lowing specification when read in connection with rearwardly extending continuous flange I8 about the accompanying drawings, wherein: its top and side edges. Another flangel 38 extends Figure -1 is a front elevational view of a refrigrearwardly from the top and side edges of the erator cabinet, a portion of the trim moulding 25 opening Il. The flange 38 terminates above the having been removed; lower end of the f ront wall, as indicated at 39,

Figure 2 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view to receive the front ilange 36 of the base Ill. vIn taken on substantially the line 2-2 of Figure 1; -the zone of junction of the front'portion of the Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view taken on'sub'- front wall and the flange I8 is a-rabbet I9 ,for a stantially the line 3--3 of Figure 1; 30 purpose which will appear presently.

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional View taken on su The laterally inner edge of the front wall I3 stantially theline 4.-'4 of Figure 1; 1 'surrounding the access opening Iis offset in- Figure 5 Vis a cross-sectional View taken on subwardly to form a rabbet 20 having a bottom 2| to stantially the line 5'-5 of-Figure 1; y which the liner I2 is attached as will be more Figure 6'is a front elevational view of the front 35 specifically pointed out later. wall of the cabinet; and i The back wall I4 is a large sheet of plastic Figure 7 is a rear elevational view of the rear having a flange 22 about its top and side edges. wall of the cabinet. AIn the corners a rabbet 23 is formed, the same as v The cabinet shown in the drawings is formed rabbet I9 in the front wall. An opening'is formed to provide, an insulated food storage compartment 40 -in the lower end of the back wall opposite the `in the upperportion and a machinery compartmachinery compartment. The top and side edges Lment in the lower portion. Both compartments ofthe latter opening are bounded by a flange 40, are open at the front and are provided with'conthe same as flange 38. -It is cut away near its ventional doors not shown. lower end in the same manner. as flange 38. A The cabinet comprises a base I0 of sheet metal, 45 large depression Ila is formed in theback wall. an outer casing Ii and a liner I2. The base is The size of the'depression is `the same as that provided with upstandingl front and rear flanges of the opening I6 in the front wall plus the width 26 and end anges 3l about its perimeter to which of the portions 2l of the rabbets 20 therein.- the outer casing is attached. The flanges 36'are It will be evident from the preceding descrip separated from the flanges 3l at the corners of 50tion and the drawings that both the front and the base to receive portions of the casing II, as rear walls are identical except for the provision will more fully appear later. The baseforms the of the access opening I6 in the frontfwall. Thus, support for the machinery in the machinervcom- `the .two walls may be molded in the same die and partment. the opening formed afterward by severing a por- The outer casing is composed of three parts, a 55 tion from the original blank. As dies for mouldand the top edges of the front and back walls. The l front and rear edge portions of the intermediate wall overlap the flanges I8 and 22 on the front and back walls respectively, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, and are cemented thereto. The extreme edges of the intermediate wall overlle the rabbets I9 and 23 and are spaced from the bottoms thereof. Those edges are concealed, and the appearance of the entire cabinet is enhanced by chan-f nel shaped trim strips 23 which slip over the aforesaid edges of the intermediate portion.and partially illl up the rabbets.

The lower extremities of the casing II are tied together and supported by the base I0. The anges 38 and 40 fit over the upper edges of flanges 36 by reason of the cutaway parts 39 and 4I. The flanges I8 and 22 at the sides of thefront and rear walls extend into the gaps between flanges 36 Iand 31 and lie flush with the respective flanges 31. See Figure 4. The intermediate wall overlaps the flanges 31 at the outer side thereof, while the front and rear walls I3 and I4 overlie the front and rear flanges 36 on the base.

The liner I2 may be of metal or plastic matel rial. It is of rectangular box shape, open at the front. A continuous flange 25 projects laterally outwardly and surrounds the open front of the liner. The extreme free edge of the flange 25 is offset forwardly at 26. A plurality of spaced apart tongues 21 are struck forwardly from the flange 25 adjacent its junction with the main body of the liner. The flange 25 overlies the bottom portions 2I of the rabbets 20 in the front wall when the liner is mounted'in the cabinet. The flange 25 is secured to the bottom portions 2l by screws 33, whereby to partially support the liner. The remainder of the support for the liner I2 is provided by struts 34 between the rear wall of the liner and the back Wall I4 of the cabinet and screws 28 which extend through those walls and are threaded into the struts. N o other support is necessary.

The flange' 25 and screws 33 are concealed, and

, the cabinet otherwise ornamented, by four trim mouldings 29, one for each sideA of the opening I6. The trim mouldings may be of polished flexible steel or a flexible plastic material. -Their crosssectlon is shown in Figure 5. As will be evident, the edges of the mouldings are reversely bent at 30 and 3|. Edge 30 forms a relatively deep channel that hooks over tongues 21. Edge 3i is reversely bent twice so that the free edge 32 points out toward the front of the moulding. The reversely bent free edges of the moulding are spaced apart a distance slightly less than the distance between the outer edge of the oiset portion 28 of the flange 25 and the free edges of tongues 21. Thus. when the including is applied to the cabinet the edge 30 is first hooked over the tongues 21 and the edge 3| is then forced inwardly over the offset 25. The extreme edge 32 will yield sufficiently to snap by the portion 26 and will then return to the position show'n in Figure 5 wherein it is hookedbehi'nd portion 2B to hold the moulding in place.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that this invention provides a novel form of casing for a refrigerator cabinet composed of but three parts, all of which are formed of moulded plastic material. All joints between the three parts are concealed by trim members applied so that no fastening means is evident. The casingis light in weight, is easily assembledI and requires no decorative coating of paint or enamel.

Each of the wall portions I3, I4 and I5 serves the triple functions of (a) support, (b) insulation, and (c) ornamentation.

The scope of the invention is indicated in the appended claim.

Iclaim:

A refrigerator cabinet wall structure comprising a front wall member formed of insulating` material, an outer casing member, and a liner member spaced from and parallel to said outer casing member, said'front wall member having a rearwardly extending ange at its laterally outer edge and a forwardly opening rabbet at its laterally inner edge, the front portion of said outer casing member overlying said flange and secured thereto with the extreme forward extremity of said casing member spaced from said flange, said liner member having a laterally outwardly extending flange seated in said rabbet, means connecting said liner flange to said front wall member and separate mouldings overlying the liner flange and the forward extremity of said .casing member.

EARL E. NOFZINGER.

REERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date .2,185,953 Ruthenburg Jan. 2, 1940 1,733,758 Sealey Oct. 29, 1929 2,068,532 Boddy Jan. 19, 1937 2,135,091 Newill Nov. l, 1938 1,538,469 Copeman May 19, 1925 1,901,556 Gottschalk Mar. 14, 1933 1,926,810 Kuhls Sept, 12, 1933 1,933,242 Card et al. Oct. 31, 1933 2,091,079 Money Aug. 24, 1937 2,244,488 Darbyshire June 3, 1941 1,801,564 Muly Apr. 21, 1931 2,321,589 Erland af Kleen June 15, 1943 1,999,796 Zinser Apr. 30, 1935 2,002,366 Eto May 2l, 1935 2,169,419 Hofferberth et al. Aug. 15, 1939 2,206,755. Schweller July 2, 1940 2,138,132 Backstrom Nov. 29, 1938 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 516,499 British Jan. 2, 1940 520,650

British Apr. 30, 1940 

